Can crushing device



Nov. 22, 1960 K. K. ANDERSON 2,960,928

CAN CRUSHING DEVICE Filed July 2, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 3

IN V EN TOR.

ATTORLEY K. K. ANDERSON CAN CRUSHING DEVICE Nov. 22, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 2, 1956 Fig. 4

M H a a R m m m R r 2 K m H r T E A w E K Y B United States Patent fine 2,960,828 Patented Nov. 22, 1960 CAN CRUSHING DEVICE Kenneth Kelly Anderson, 2111 E. 13th St, Des Moines, Iowa Filed July 2, 1956, Ser. No. 595,296

1 Claim. (Cl. 100-233) This invention relates generally to mechanism for fiattening or crushing empty tin cans.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved can crushing device.

Another object of this invention is to provide a can crushing device which is operable to crush cans of various sizes.

A further object of this invention is to provide a can crushing device which includes a pair of jaw members movable toward each other to crush a can and provided with can engaging teeth to maintain a can therebetween.

Another object of this invention is to provide a can crushing device which includes jaw members of a shape to provide for the progressive crushing of large cans deposited between the jaws and thereby avoid excessive pressure on the jaws. Still another object of this invention is to provide a can crushing device which is simple and rugged in construction, economical to manufacture and eificient in operation in crushing cans and the like.

Further objects, features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. ,l is a perspective view of the can crushing device of this invention;

the can crushing device of this invention with the housing removed, showing changed positions of the jaws in the device, with some parts broken away and other parts shown in section for the purpose of clarity;

-Fig.'4 is a top plan view of the can crushing device of this'invention, with the cover therefor removed;

Fig.5 is an enlarged perspective view'of the jaws in the canicrushing device of this invention; and

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the jaws in the deviceof this invention, shown in an open position and illustrating a can to be crushed between the jaws.

With reference to the drawing, the can crushing device of this'invention, indicated generally at 10, is illustrated in Fig. 1 as including a portable frame 11 which carries a housing 12 provided with a cover 13. An upwardly and outwardly flared rim 14 surrounds an opening 16 in the cover 13 through which cans to be crushed are fed to the device 10.

Mounted on pivot members or shafts 17 and 18 arranged in a side by side relation and extended transversely of the frame 11 (Figs. 2 and 3) adjacent one end 20 thereof are a pair of crusher jaws 19 and 21, respectively. Since the jaws 19 and 21 are substantially identical, only the jaw 19 will be described in detail herein, with like numerals indicating like parts on the jaws.

As best appears in Fig. 5, the jaw 19, which is a onepiece casting includes a pair of upright side bars 22 having openings 23 at their lower ends for receiving the pivot member 17. A body member 25 for the jaw 19 extends between the bars 22 and has a first fiat or straight lower portion 26 and a second upper portion 27 inclined in a direction rearwardly of the jaw 19. The upper portion 27 is formed with two substantially straight sections 28, of a triangular shape, which are inclined toward each other and meet along a line 29 inclined upwardly and rearwardly from the jaw portion 26. The front side 24 of the body member 25 isformed with forwardly projected teeth 30 (Fig. 6) which have downwardly inclined top sides 35 and substantially horizontal lower sides 40.

The jaw 19 is formed at its upper end 29 with an upwardly and rearwardly inclined guide or extension plate 31 (Figs. 2 and 3) which terminates in an upwardly extended flange or rim 32 positioned adjacent the housing cover 13.

As best appears in Figs. 2 and 3, the jaws 19 and 21 are movable to a closed position in which the portions 26 thereof are substantially parallel and closely adjacent each other (Fig. 3) and to an open position, illustrated in Fig. 2, in which the jaws 19 and 21 are relatively diverged in an upward direction. Such movement of the jaws 19 and 21 is provided for by the pivotal mounting of the lower ends of the jaws on the shafts 17 and 18.

Mounted on the frame 11 (Fig. l), at a position below the housing 12, is an electric motor 33 which operates through a belt 34 (Figs. 2 and 3) to drive a fly wheel 36, mounted on a gear reduction unit 37 carried by the frame 11. The gear reduction unit 37 (Fig. 4) has a driven shaft 38 which carries a radially extended crank arm 39 at one of its ends. The arm 39 is pivotally connected at its free end 41 to one end of a link 42 pivotally connected at its opposite end to a pair of parallel arms 43 fixed on a rock shaft 44 ro-tatably supported on the frame 11 at a position between the jaw 21 and the gear reduction unit 37. The shaft 44 carries a radially extended projection or finger 46 of a length to be moved against a reinforcing rib 47 (Figs. 2, 3 and 5) formed as an integral part of the jaw 21 and arranged on the rear side 48 thereof at a position opposite the meeting line 29 for the upper jaw sections 28. The finger 46 is progressively engageable with the rib 47 to move the jaw 21 about the shaft 18 therefor in a direction away from the shaft 44.

At its ends, the rock shaft 44 carries a pair of radially extended arms 51 which are pivotally connected at their free ends 52 (Figs. 2 and 3) to one of the ends of a pair of links 53. The opposite ends of the links 53 are pivotally connected to the jaw 19 at openings 54 (Fig. 5) formed therein adjacent the upper ends of the side bars 22.

It is seen, therefore, that on operation of themotor 33 to rotate the gear reduction unit shaft 38 in a counter clockwise direction as viewed in Figs. 2 and 3, the link 42 and arms 43 operate to reciprocally rotate the rock shaft 44. In other. words, the shaft 44 rotates iria clockwise direction -to move the finger 46 from the downwardly inclined position shown in Fig. 2 to the substantially horizontal position shown in Fig. 3. The shaft 44 rotates in an opposite or counter clockwise direction to move the finger 46 from the horizontal position shown in Fig. 3 to the inclined position shown in Fig. 2.

As best appears in Fig. 3, in the substantially horizontal position of the finger 46 shown therein, the jaw 21 has been moved to a substantially upright position by virtue of the cam action of the finger 46 on the rib 47 of the jaw 21. During movement of the finger 46 toward the inclined position shown in Fig. 2, a spring 58 extended between the jaw 21 and the frame 11 operates to hold the jaw 21 against the finger 46.

In the downwardly inclined position of the finger 46 shown in Fig. 2, the arms 51 on the rock shaft 44 are in substantially upright positions in which the links 53 corresponding thereto hold the jaw 19 in an upwardly andrearwardly inclined position. In the substantially horizontal position of the finger 46 illustrated in Fig. 3,

the arms 51 are inclined toward the horizontal away from the jaw 19 tomove the links 53.to a position pulling thejaw 19 to a substantially upright position.

It isseen, therefore, that in'the Fig- 2 position of the crank arm'39, the finger 46zand arms 51 are in positions in which the jaws 19 and 21 are in relatively reversely inclined. diverged positions corresponding to an open position of. the jawsl9 and 2.1; In'the Fig. 3'. position of the crank arm 39, the finger 46 and arms 51 have been moved to positions in which the jaws 19 and 21 are concurrently moved to substantially upright closely spaced positions corresponding to a closed position of the jaws. Thus, duringrevolution. of. the crank arm 39, the jaws 19 and.21 are' alternately opened and closed by virtue of the predetermined angular relation .of the finger 46 and arms 51 on the rock shaft 44.

During such opening and closing movement of the jaws. 19 and 21, the upright jaw flanges 32 are moved back and forth adjacent the underside of the cover 13 for the housing 12. As best appears in Fig. 3 in the closed position of the jaws19 and.21 the flanges 32 are positioned on opposite sides of the can feed opening 16. In other words, the flanges 32 are spaced a suflicient distance apart to preclude their interfering with any feeding of cans to the jaws 19 and 21. As a result, cans can be fed continuously to the jaws without regard to the open or closed position of the jaws.

The outwardly flared guide plate 31 on the jaws 19 and 21 facilitates a rapid feeding thereto of :a large size can deposited in the housing 12 ina closed position of the jaws 19 and 21. A large can is initially received 7 from the guide portions 31 between the upper outwardly inclined portions 27 of the jaws 19 and 21. As a result, when the jaws are closed (Fig. 3), the can is only partially crushed or flattened. When the jaws'open, the can advances downwardly on the jaws 19 and 21, which advance is facilitated by the downwardly inclined construction of the teeth 30 on the jaw body member 25. As a result, when the jaws 19 and 21again close the can is further crushed orflattened. The can moves progressively downwardly on the jaws 19 and .21 toa position between theilower jaw portions 26 whereitis completely flattened. The can then'fallsdownwardly through the space 62 (Fig. 4) between the jaws 19 and 21 into a' receptacle (not shown) positioned on the frame 11 below the housing 12.

By virtue of the position of the jaw flanges *32 closely adjacent the housingcover 13, the possibility of a very smallcan beingthrownupwardly and travelling behind the jaws. 19. and 21. is eliminated. The downwardly inclined shape of theteeth30 (Fig. 6) provides for a positive gripping of a canto. be crushed by theteeth 30 so as to. preclude any slipping of the can on the. teeth. Accordingly, eachclosing movement ofthe jaws. 19. and 21results'in a'partial or:complete crushing of a can disposed therebetween. Small cans which immediately travel downwardly to positions between the lower jaw portions 26 are, of course, fully flattened in one closing movement of the jaws 19 and 21.

From the above description, it is seen that this invention provides a can crushing device 12 which includes jaws 19 and 21 having opposed sides 24 formed with teeth 30. By virtue of these formations of the teeth 30 a positive crushing action of the jaws 19 and 21 is assured on closing of the jaws. As a result, a can fed through the opening 16 is quickly crushed or flattened to an extent providing for theready passage of the crushed can throughthe space 62 between the lower ends of the jaws. The resulting crushed cans may then be stored in a compact space for eventual sale as scrap metal.

In one embodiment of the invention, the jaws 19 and 21 are of a size to provide for the reception therein of any can up to a five gallon capacity size. It is to be understood that while the device 10 has been particularly described with respect to the crushing of'cans; substantially any article can be broken or crushed between the jaws 19 and 21 regardless of the material ofwhich such article is formed. For example, the jaws19 and21are readily operable to crush glass bottles.

Although the invention has been described with respect to a preferred embodiment thereof, it is to. be understood that it is not to be so limited. since changes can bemade therein which are, within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A can crushing device comprising a mainframe, apair of co-acting crusher jaws, each of said jaws having a pair of ends one of which is pivotally connected to said frame, means for moving said jaws about the pivotal connections therefor such that said jaws are moved toward andaway from each other, each of said jaws-having a first substantially straight portion adjacent said one end thereof, a second V-shaped inclined portion ofifset angularly from said first portion in a direction away 'fromthe other jaw, and a third inclined guide portion extended upwardly from said second portion in a direction away from the other jaw, said second inclined portion includingtwo substantially straight sections of triangular shape :inclined toward each other transversely of said-second inclined portion, and means forming can-engagingteeth on said first and secondportions.

References Cited in the file of thisipatenti UNITED STATES PATENTS 472,311 McIntyre V A r.. 5,: 1392 724,634 Wardwell et al Ap1*. 7,;1903 1,376,798 Courtney" May 3,. 1921 1,954,920 D'amerell -...Apr: 1.7,' 1934 2,076,048, Seelman Apr. 6;,1937 2,404,028 Best July 16; 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS 7 26,206 Great Britain Dec; 4;.1908 

